Xmen: A New Hope
by Tempest88
Summary: This story begins after the move to California and maintains most of comic book continuity. It follows the journey of a powerful new mutant who is discovered in a laboratory in Arizona and is the first new mutant since the birth of Hope.
1. A New Hope

**Chapter One: A New Hope**

The room was cold and devoid of emotion. It was a laboratory in which the low buzzing of machines was deafening. The lights were dim and the only other device that could offer any sort of illumination was the computer monitors as they revealed data concerning the newest experiment. This new experiment was a boy who looked no older than 15 years of age. He appeared to be floating in a tube full of some sort of liquid; however, his features were still visible. His skin was overall light with a hint of a tan. His eyes were open and the iris was a brilliant viridian. His hair was cut low and was a dirty blond color. His overall body structure seemed to have that of a swimmer build and average height. There were wires connected to both of his temples, his chest, arms, and legs. There was also a gas mask covering the lower half of his face. The lab doors open with a whispering whoosh as two men dressed in lab coats appear. One of the men is a short, heavyset brunette, while the other is a tall, lanky blond. The brunette walks over to the computer and begins typing while the blond walks over to the tube.

"Dr. Robertson, is the subject conscious?" The blond man inquired.

"No Dr. Reece, he is still being lightly sedated." Dr. Robertson replied. "That is why his eyes are still slightly dilated."

"We need to stop the sedation of the subject." Dr Reece said. "He has to be conscious in order for the next phase of the plan to happen."  
"What about his powers?" Dr. Robertson said. "Won't they alert the X-men to our location?"

"That is exactly what I want." A woman said as she entered the lab.

The woman appeared in a lab coat as well with sleek long black hair draped down her back. Her skin had an unnatural pale hue and her presence cause both of the doctors to shudder.

"Dr. Renko, I thought we wanted to keep him sedated so we won't alert anyone to his whereabouts." Dr Reece said.

"The first phase of the experiment is over, Dr. Reece." Dr Renko said as she walked over to the tube. "We have his DNA mapped out entirely. We know his genetic potential and all possible scenarios of power that he currently does, will and could possibly have. He is the perfect host but he needs someone nurture his powers while they develop and the X-men are good for that."

"Showing compassion at this stage of the experiment?" Dr. Robertson said.

"Don't be stupid, you pathetic twit." Dr. Renko said scathingly as she turned toward the doctors. "Does it look like we have the time to train some new mutant in how to use his powers? There are much bigger things that we have to do. Also, the X-men will embrace him and not even know that one of their greatest enemies is resting comfortably on their team.

On those words, she turned back to the tube and placed her hand on it. She closed her eyes as a red diamond appeared on her forehead. It glowed deeply as the boy's eyes began to flutter and blink. Slowly, his pupils became less and less dilated and his face took on an expression of confusion, shock, and fear.

"_Time to get up..." _Dr. Renko said telepathically. _"But before I let you go, there is a simple matter of completely erasing your memory. Prepare to feel true agony…"_

With that, Dr. Renko begins rummaging through the boy's mind; ripping the memories from it. The boy began to scream in agony as his mind is literally being torn apart. The screams are muffled due to the mask, but the affect is still effective. The two other doctors appear sick to their stomachs and quickly leave the room. After five minutes, the boy's eyes begin to glow a bright green. Dr. Renko smiles when she sees this and presses even harder on the fragments of the boy's mind.

'That's it; use your powers to save you.' Dr. Renko thought. 'Bring the X-men here…'

The intensity of glow increased as the boy experienced unimaginable pain. While this is happening, things are quiet at the Graymalkin Estate in California. Most of the mutants that reside in the new base of the X-men have long since gone to bed. This holds true in the room of Scott Summers and Emma Frost. Both are resting comfortably in each other's arms as a picture perfect couple. Emma has a smile on her face as her dreams seemed to be giving her a reality of happiness. She rolled over and her face changed to a more serious expression. She suddenly snapped awake and sat upright.

"Scott…" She whispered as she grabbed her head.

"…" Scott replied.

"Scott…" She said louder as she rubbed her temples.  
"What's the matter honey?" Scott said sleepily.

"I don't know; something feels wrong." Emma said as she tried to concentrate. "It feels as if some…"

At that moment, Emma grabbed her head and screamed at the top of her lungs. It sounded as if she were in utter pain and agony. Scott began to panic, not knowing what was wrong with his lover.

"Emma, honey, what's wrong?" Scott said as he grabbed her. "Emma…"

Emma stopped screaming after his question and fell onto the bed. Her eyes were closed and her nose was bleeding profusely.

"Emma, you're scaring me." Scott said. "Please tell me you're alright."

"Well that is something I never want to experience again." Emma said weakly.

"Emms, you're alright." Scott said happily as he brought her into his arms.

"Yes, but someone is not." Emma said as she grabbed a tissue. "A mutant has just sent out a psychic emotion of pain that was powerful enough to rip through my shields as if they were tissue paper. We're going to need the team."

"I was afraid you were going to say that." Scott said. "Alright, I will round them up and bring them to the hanger."

"I will go to Cerebra and see if I can get a lock on the where the origin of that psychic wave came from." Emma said.

"Are you sure you are strong enough to do that right now?" Scott said grabbing her arm.

"Darling, we have to find this mutant. Its mind was screaming in agony and I don't know how long it can take anymore." Emma said. "Besides, this is the only other mutant activity that we have had since they sent Hope into the future with Cable. This is something we can't turn away from."

"You're right sweetheart. I love ya Emms." Scott said as she left.

"Love you too darling…" Emma said.

Emma immediately ran to the room that housed the newest version of Cerebra. She took a seat at the device and placed the head piece atop her head and began to concentrate as the machine hummed to life. She looked around for residual psychic energy and found a trail which led her to the middle of Arizona. When she concentrated further, she discovered there were two minds which were psychically active. One appeared to be a telepath that was caught off guard as much as she and the other mind was a bit more complex. She attempted to extract more information but the other telepath was quick to recover and blocked her.

'Empathic perhaps…' Emma thought to herself as she took off the cerebra helmet. 'If that was an empath, it had powers that could rival that of my sister. We need to get this mutant.'

Emma quickly contacted Scott and headed over to the hanger. When she arrived there, she saw Colossus, Storm, Wolverine, Beast and Scott waiting for her.

"Hey Emma, I was just gathering this team to go retrieve the mutant." Scott said.

"Is it really true Emma, a new mutant detected after so long?" Henry asked.

"Yes Henry, it is." Emma said. "It appears as though this mutant was there with another telepath; one that seemed familiar but different in a very fundamental way. Nevertheless the other telepath seemed just as surprised about the attack as I. I managed to discover the location of the mutant, but we should expect resistance."

"Alright, you heard Emma; we need to be prepared for anything." Scott ordered. "Our mission is to get in, find the mutant and bring it back safely. Understood?"

The team nodded in agreement.

"Be extremely careful. This mutant has been through incredible torture and its mind is exceedingly fragile." Emma stated as she and the team boarded the X-Jet.

The team of X-men streaked across the late night sky rushing towards the location of this "new mutant". Meanwhile at the laboratory, Dr. Renko was grabbing her head and trying to concentrate as blood poured from her nose. She looked up at the tube to find the mutant in a panicked state. His eyes were glowing brightly as the liquid in the tube seemed to suddenly evaporate. She was about to subdue him until she felt the sensation of telepathic probe. She recognized it as an X-man and focused her efforts into blocking the probe. This gave the mutant enough time to continue using his powers. Suddenly the glass tube began to crack and shatter. The mutant pulled with all of his strength and managed to rip all of the wires off of his body and disconnect himself. He leapt out of the tube and fell to the floor. He legs were weak and he was very confused. He saw a woman approach with a red diamond in her forehead.

"You have been a naughty boy." Dr. Renko said.

"Nnnooo!" The boy struggled to say as he held up his hands in cover.

"I have to fini…" Dr. Renko began to say until a blast hit her in the chest.

She flew back into the computer console which sparked electricity on impact. The mutant looked down at his hands in fear. He managed to finally scramble to his feet and started to run. Meanwhile the X-team has arrived at the compound. The building appeared to be very new looking, high-tech laboratory. As the jet landed, the X-men split off into smaller groups with Colossus and Storm going one way, Cyclops and Emma another and Beast and Wolverine survey the first floor. Wolverine starts by sniffing around.

"Have you picked a scent Logan?" Beast said.

"I've picked up a bunch Beast, but I am not really sure of what I am looking for." Wolverine said.

"Perphaps there are scents here which would indicate someone who has been imprisoned." Beast said. "Emma said that could have been a possibility."

"Maybe…" Wolverine said as he sniffed. "Wait, there is someone here."

As soon as Wolverine says this, four armed guards come crashing though the windows. The guards were dressed in all black and were wearing weird white masks. Wolverine reacted quickly by unsheathing his claws and leapt at the guy closest to him. The guard tried shooting at Wolverine, but Wolverine seemed unfazed by bullets. He slices through the gun the guard is holding and knocks him to the floor. He sheathes his claws and rams the guard's head against the floor very hard and knocks him out. Beast on the other hand is narrowly dodging shots by three of the guards. He manages to jump forward and quickly disarm the three guards in a series of flips and cartwheels. After doing so, he curls into a ball in mid-air and knocks the three guards to the floor. Unfortunately, in the process he did not see the fourth guard preparing a shot from behind and gets shot multiple times. Wolverine roars in fury as he hears Beast howl in pain and launches himself at the fourth guard. He unsheathes his claws and plunges them deep into the chest of the guard. The guard falls to the floor as Wolverine gets up. He hears footsteps running towards the scene quickly. He turns around and runs towards the footsteps. He turns the corner at the end of the hallway and prepares to strike at the assailant. His claws are centimeters away from the face of a scared 15 boy breathing heavily. His eyes were glowing bright green as Wolverine discovered he could not move.

"Listen kid, I ain't gonna hurt ya." Wolverine said as he sheathed his claws.

"Ahhhh!" The kid yelled as he ran in the other direction.

"You always did have a way of connecting with children Logan." Beast said as he stumbled over to his companion. "However, I think it is best that we pursue our young friend."

"I can't. The kid did something to me and now I can't move." Wolverine said as he struggled to move. "And you are too injured to go anywhere. It is up to the others now."

"Well, I will try and postulate a solution to reverse the mutant's stunning effect on you." Beast said as he got out some equipment.

"Very funny blue boy…" Wolverine snarled. "…just get to work."

Beast put together his equipment and began to work. On the second floor, Storm and Colossus are making their way through the area.

"Could it be possible Storm?" Colossus asked. "Could this really be another mutant?"

"I hope so Colossus, our race is dying and our other chance is currently in the future with Cable." Storm said. "The one thing that I wonder is, why it took so long for this one to appear."  
"What do you mean?" Colossus asked.

"According to Emma when she looked in the mutant's mind for that brief moment, it appeared as though it was person who was mid teens." Storm said.

"Well, that is common for mutant powers to emerge isn't it?" Colossus said.

"I guess since the birth of Hope, I expected that another powerful mutant would've been perhaps another infant to care for." Storm replied.  
"Do you think the X-men are ready to take care of such a young child?" Colossus asked.

"I think that… wait…" Storm whispered as her eyes begin to glow white. "Something is interrupting the flow of air in this hallway."

"What does that mean?" Colossus whispered back as his skin began to look steel-like.

"It means our enemy has made it so they cannot be seen." Storm said. "Good, but not good enough..."

Suddenly the air crackled electricity as Storm released an EMP. Suddenly two muscular figures appear in front of and behind Storm and Colossus. Colossus turned around as the two of them are back to back facing their

"Clever weather witch…" The man in front said as he lunged at Storm and the other man ran at Colossus prepared to tackle him.

Colossus pulled back and punched the guard in the face. He went flying back into a wall and fell to the floor. Storm moved out of the way of lunging man who fell on Colossus. Storm turned toward them quickly and launched a lightning bolt at the fallen man. He man moved out of the way, and Colossus took the brunt of it.

"Oh goodness, Peter!!" Storm yelled.

The man turned to her and launched a beam of energy at her. This beam caught her off guard and hit her in the chest as she fell to the floor. The man was about to finish her off until a green eyed boy ran into the hallway. He looked absolutely frightened at the scene. The man looked at the boy and prepared to fire another blast until he got it in the back of the head. Suddenly a man of steel appeared as the man fell to the floor.

"Stay back…" The frantic boy yelled.

"I do not wish to harm you." Colossus said calmly as he slowly approached the boy.

"No… Don't take me back to them!" The boy yelled as his eyes started to glow.

"We only wish to…" Colossus said as he couldn't move. "Wait, I cannot move… I can't shift back…"

"What is happening?" The boy said to himself as he ran away.

"Wait…" Storm said weakly.

"Storm… are you okay?" Colossus asked.

"I think so, why are you standing there?" Storm asked.

"The boy did something, I cannot move or shift back to my human form." Colossus said.

"By the goddess, that is an exceptionally powerful child." Storm said. "I hope Scott and Emma are able to get him."

Storm continued to think of a solution to try and help Colossus. On the third floor, Emma and Scott are searching the area. They walk through a hallway where there is a light on in a room at the end.

"Are you picking up anything Emma?" Scott whispered.

"…No, not even from the others." Emma said after a few seconds of concentration.

"That doesn't sound good." Scott said. "Could it be possible that this was a trap? Maybe it was actually Empath luring us here?"  
"No, I know the psychic energy exuded from that twit and this was far too powerful to be him." Emma said. "No, I have never felt anything like this before."

"I still can't believe that there is another mutant out there that we have had no idea about." Scott said.

"Well… wait I am sensing something coming from that room." Emma said as they approached the room.

The two X-men stealthily approach the room. When they get to the room, Emma suddenly feels the presence of another in her mind. She reacts instantly to the intrusion and pulls the stranger into the astral plane. Emma displays the astral plane as a white medieval castle in the background. The stranger appears as a woman dressed in black armor suiting of the time period while Emma is dressed in white armor.

"Well… well… well…" The stranger says. "The infamous White Queen."

"So to whom do I give the pleasure of defeating this fine night?" Emma asks confidently.

"Oh dear, just call me Dr. Renko." Dr. Renko said as she runs at Emma with a lance.

"Oh you must be new to this; let me show you how it's done." Emma said as she side stepped to avoid the lance and punches Dr. Renko in the face.

Dr. Renko is knocked to the floor and recovers quickly as Emma summons a lance of her own. The two women run at each other and clash; each trying to gain more ground. Meanwhile, Scott enters the room to find two armed guards, two doctors and a mysterious female doctor. The two guards begin to shoot at Cyclops as he dodges out of the way. He lets loose a couple of optic blasts which ricochet off of two separate consoles and hits each of the guards guns out of their hands. They pulled out metal bats and ran at Cyclops. He ducked under the first guard swinging at him and sweep kicked the second. The first guard turned around and raised his bat over his head. Cyclops turned and kicked the guard in the chest causing his bat to fly out of his hands and fall to the floor. Cyclops launched an optic blast at the two of them which slid them into the computer console and knocked them out. At that moment, a boy 15 years of age with green eyes runs past and drops to the floor grabbing his head. Cyclops turns around and notices the scene.

"No! Too much anger… too much hatred… I can't…" The boy yelled as he dropped to the ground trembling.

"Son, it's alright." Cyclops said approaching the boy. "We can help you."

"Stay away!" The boy yelled as his eyes glowed once more.

"What's wr…" Cyclops said as his movement was stopped. "What's going on?"

"I can't handle this!" The boy yelled. "It's all too much. Just stop!"

Suddenly the glow from his eyes became really intense. In the astral plane, Emma and Dr. Renko were fighting tooth and nail; each trying to get an advantage. Until both suddenly felt a powerful surge of Psionic energy pull them from the astral plane and back into their bodies. Dr. Renko, using the distraction, turned into dove and flew out of the room. Meanwhile, Emma is recovering from the sudden disconnection from the astral plane.

"Scott, are you okay?" Emma said as she tried to get her bearings.

"I'm fine, our mutant is over there and needs some help." Scott said.

"Why me…" The mutant cried. "Why would someone do this?"

"It's alright. You are safe now." Emma said as she slowly approached the boy.  
"Stay back. You're going to put me back in there." The boy say frightened. "I won't go back! I won't!"

"Calm down, we won't take you anywhere that you don't want to." Emma said sincerely.

"Calm… I don't know what calm is." The boy said rocking slowly on the floor. "I feel everything. There are just so many emotions. I can't keep them out; they're drowning me."

"Then focus on me." Emma said calmly as she shifted her body to a sleek organic diamond. "Just focus on the sound of my voice; block everything else out."

"I can'… wait… why do I feel nothing from you." The boy asked.

"There is nothing to feel." Emma said simply as she reached out to the boy. "There is no emotion for me in this form. Now I am going to shift back, just focus on the absence of emotions."

"I can't, there is too much!" The boy said as she shifted back.

"_Feel the calmness of sleep overcome you."_ Emma said telepathically. _"Let go of consciousness and fall asleep." _

Suddenly, the boy's eyes started to droop and soon he fell into a deep slumber.

"Wow Emma, you were great." Scott said as he regained the ability to move.

"Thanks darling, unfortunately whatever they did to him here seems to have traumatized him." Emma said looking at the peacefully sleeping boy. "It infuriates me to think that people could be so cruel to someone so young and innocent."

Suddenly, as she said that, he face took on a struggling expression and he started moaning in his sleep as if from a nightmare.

"Do you think that he can still feel emotions in his sleep?" Scott said.

"I think so; we need to keep ourselves under control until we get back to the jet." Emma said as she calmed down. "Can you hoist him onto you back and carry him?"

"Sure thing Emms." Scott said as he picked the peaceful boy and put him on his back. "Alright, let's meet up with the others."

Scott and Emma quickly made their way downstairs and met up with Storm and Colossus. They travelled down to the first floor and rounded out their team again with addition of Wolverine and Beast.

"Well it's nice to be able to move again." Wolverine said as they boarded the jet. "Kid packs quite a punch."

"You have no idea Logan." Emma said. "This young man was able to pull mine and another powerful telepaths' astral forms from the astral plane. Scott, put him on this bed."

"Really Emma?" Storm asked.

"Yes, this is why I need to put power inhibitors in his mind." Emma said as she placed her hands on his head.

"Fascinating…" Hank said.

"What's that Hank?" Scott asked as he started the jet.

"I've gotten the preliminary results from the scan that I did on Logan when he was paralyzed." Hank began. "It appears that our young friend here has the ability to manipulate the weak nuclear Van Der Waal forces of attraction and the London dispersal forces."

"In english doc…" Wolverine said impatiently.

"In terminology for impatient compatriot, he can change the orientation of molecules so that they attract or repel." Hank said. "Which explains why you guys weren't able to move; you were bonded on a molecular level to surfaces and other molecules surrounding you. It truly is a fascinating ability. Once we have done more tests, I will be able to determine the full extent of this."

"I cannot believe that we have not known of a mutant who has such power." Ororo said.

"Yes, which means that we need to take extra care with how we nurture his powers." Scott said. "We do not know the full extent of what they did to him back at the lab and how it has affected him."

"Well, I have just probed his mind and placed psychic barriers on the upper limits of his powers." Emma said as she returned from the med area of the plane. "Whoever was in there first did a hell of a job of stripping his memories. There is not much in there with the exception of the name Ryan."

"Could that be his name?" Peter asked.

"Perhaps, but the only thing we can do right now is wait and see." Emma said as the jet streaked through the night sky back to the compound.


	2. Ryan's Brand New Day

**Chapter 2: Ryan's Brand New Day**

A couple of days have gone by since the rescue of the mutant from Arizona. He has been resting comfortably in the med wing of the X-men's newest California estate. This particular evening, Scott has decided to call a meeting with the senior team. This consists of Robert Drake (Iceman), Warren Worthington III (Archangel), Henry McCoy (Beast), Emma Frost, Ororo Monroe (Storm), and James Howlett (Wolverine). The team gathered in one of the conference rooms.

"Alright, the reason I have called this meeting is because of our newest arrival." Scott said. "We have been keeping him sedated due to the nature of his condition."

"What are you getting at slim?" James asked getting straight to the point.

"We need to handle this mutant in particular carefully." Scott replied. "He has no memory of anything that has happened in his life."

"But, we've dealt with people who have lost their memories before." Robert chimed in. "Wolverine had no idea who he was and we got his memory back."

"That was different." Emma sighed. "His memories haven't been psionically blocked from him or fragmented, or even repressed. His memories have been completely removed from him. I am surprised his mind even survived it."

"So what are you suggesting Emma?" Ororo asked.

"I think that we should replace his lost memories." Emma said carefully.

"What are you talking about Emma?" Robert said abruptly. "Just what are we going to be putting in this boy's head?"

"Yea, I don't think I like where this is going." James said. "This sounds like we're brainwashing the kid and you can understand why I would be against something like that."

"I am not suggesting that we brainwash the child." Emma began. "When he wakes up, what do you think is going to be his first thought? The last thing he remembers is being tortured in a laboratory by someone who could read his mind and do god knows what else. Why should he have any reason to trust us?"

"We could offer him safety and the chance to gain back his memories." Henry suggested.

"We don't even know where the mutant who has his memories is located and why should he have any reason to believe us." Emma retorted. "Besides, I scanned these last couple of days and could not turn up anything. I don't want to promise him something that we cannot deliver."

"That's better than giving this kid a fake life." Robert said. "He'd be living a lie that we propagated. And what if he found out that these "memories" were false? If he is as powerful as you say he is, who's to say that he won't find out?"

"With his powers psychically inhibited, he will not be able to discover the false nature of the memories." Emma said.

"I cannot believe this." Robert said incredulously. "I am really surprised that you are going for this Scott. Didn't the professor erase your memories of your brother and alter your memories of Krakoa."

"That was completely different Robert." Scott said angrily.

"Really, because I don't really see a difference…" Robert started to say.

"Is there any possible way of recovering his true memories at this point in time?" Warren interjected.

"No" Emma answered curtly.

"Well then, I think that we should give this a try." Warren said.

"Hold on; if we are able to retrieve his memories, could we switch them or something of that sort?" Ororo asked.

"Yes, I was pondering the same thing." Henry said.

"Yes, it is possible." Emma said. "Obviously we would have to take due care when that situation arises."

"So can we at least agree on that?" Scott asked looking around the room. "We replace his memories in order to trust us and keep it that way until we find his actual memories?"

"That sounds reasonable." Henry said.

"Yes, I agree with that." Ororo said.  
"I still do not think that this is a good idea." Robert said.

"Neither do I." James said as he got up and prepared to leave. "I hope you know what you're doing Slim."

"Well, since everyone here seems to think that manipulating this kid into joining the X-men is a good idea, then I guess I have nothing else to say." Robert said as he followed suit. "I thought the X-men were better than this."

"Don't worry Scott; we understand that this needs to be done." Warren said. "Just promise me that we will give him his memories back when the time comes."

"I promise Warren." Scott said as the rest of the group got up and left.

"I truly hope this is the right thing." Scott said.

"Don't worry love; this is the best thing for him." Emma said.

"But, Bobby did have a point." Scott said.

"As long as we handle this carefully, everything should be fine." Emma said. "Don't doubt yourself so much; you're a great man Scott."

"Thanks Em" Scott said.  
"You're welcome; now I am off to wake sleeping beauty." Emma said.

"Good luck." Scott said.

"Thanks" Emma said as she left.

Emma walked out of the room and travelled down to the medical facility. When she arrived there, she grabbed the door knob and hesitated. She looked around for a moment, gathered a new resolve and entered the room. As she walked in, she could only hear the steady beeping of the heart machine. She looked over at the mutant resting peacefully on the bed. She walked over to the bedside and took a seat next to the bed.

"You, my dear, are more powerful than you know." Emma said to the sleeping mutant. "Your existence gives hope that there are other mutants out there whom we are not aware of. This may seem like the worst thing to do, but I pray you will understand when you discover the truth. Scott and I have failed our students and even our own children time and time again. You will be one that we will not fail."

Emma placed her hands on the mutant's temples. She closed her eyes as her face took on an appearance of concentration. In the mindscape, the mutant's mind which was once empty of memories became filled with images of blond woman and a brunette man raising him. These images started off blurry and soon became clear. There were also images of other members of the X-men taking care of him while the blond woman and brunette man was away. These images took hold as his mind began to form memories of its own accord.

"Oh my…" Emma gasped as her eyes snapped open. "Did his mind create memories on its own?"

The young mutant began to murmur and move around in this sleep.

"I don't under…" Emma began to say.

"M…mot…mother" The mutant said.

"Ryan" Emma said as she hugged the boy.

"Where am I?" Ryan asked he hugged Emma back.

"You are in the hospital wing." Emma said as she let Ryan go. "We were attacked and you were kidnapped. It was when your powers first manifested. Don't you remember?"  
"No… wait, I think so." Ryan said as he began to think. "Yeah, I was here playing here with… Aunt Ororo and the men came when she left. I tried to get away and almost did but they took me."

"It's okay Ryan." Emma said. "So long as we have you back that is all that matters."  
"So how is our young patient doing?" Henry said as he entered the room.  
"Everything's all good Uncle Hank." Ryan said smiling brightly.

"_Henry, I have completed altering his memories and he believes that we adopted him as a baby with Scott and I being his parents. For some reason he thinks of the senior staff as his aunts and uncles… so go with it." _Emma said to Henry telepathically.

"Alright champ, everything looks to be in order." Henry said as he nodded to Emma and looked back to Ryan. "If you are up to it, you can go back to your room tonight and we can start running some tests on your powers tomorrow."

"Sweet!" Ryan said excitedly. "Does this mean I'm going to be an X-man uncle Hank?"

"Well…" Henry started.

"Not just yet sweetheart." Emma said.

"But mom…" Ryan began.

"We'll see" Emma said. "Now run along to your room, Henry and I have a few things we need to talk about."

"Alright, see ya mom." Ryan said as he got up and left. "Later Uncle Hank"

"So Emma, what was that all about?" Henry said as he turned off the equipment.

"To tell you the truth Henry, I don't really know." Emma said as she rubbed her head.

"What do you mean?" Henry asked.

"Well, I was inserting memories of the X-men into his mind and all of a sudden his mind started to shape them itself." Emma said. "The memories were creating themselves and this is what the result is. I don't know what he really knows."

"This is interesting." Henry said. "Perhaps his mind knew that there was nothing there and once your influence began, it put the pieces together."

"But that is just it Henry, I only supplied a few images." Emma said. "He supplied the rest and put them all together by himself."

"I don't know Emma; all I can say is that we are going to have to watch him closely." Henry said putting the last of the equipment away.

In the meantime, Ryan left the medical wing and walked across the compound. The people who saw him gave him an odd look due to his attire. He looked down and realized he was still in a medical gown. He blushed and quickly ran to the residential quarters. He ran upstairs and down a hallway until he found a room which had Ryan labeled on it. He opened the door and walked in. The room was painted a deep forest green and many posters of the Avengers, the X-men, and the Fantastic Four. There was also a desk which had a laptop on it and a closet which was filled with different outfits.

"Wow!" Ryan said to himself. "I missed my room."

Ryan quickly changed into a black T-shirt and a pair of blue jeans. After changing, Ryan felt his stomach growl. He decided to head over to the kitchen and grab some food before going to bed. He left his room and made his way downstairs. When got to the hall that leads to the kitchen, he heard voices.

"No Ororo, this is wrong." A male voice said. "We should not have done that. Who are we to control his life."  
"Who are we to have him live a life of pain and frustration?" Ororo replied. "You should understand that more than anyone else Robert. Weren't you the one who was chased out of town by the people there?"  
"Yes, but…" Robert said.

"Would you wish that on someone else?" Ororo asked.

"No, I guess not." Robert said.

"Good" Ororo said.

All of a sudden, Ryan felt a wave of anger and shame wash over him. He grabbed his head and fell to the floor. He tried to force the emotions away from him, but it was too strong. As he felt his head splitting, he heard footsteps approach.

"Ryan" Ororo said as she gently shook him. "Ryan, are you okay?"

"Uncle Bobby, please don't be angry." Ryan said weakly.  
"Uncle Bobby" Robert said to himself.

"Robert, it's his empathy." Ororo said. "Try to be as emotionless as you can."

"Right" Robert said. "Is this okay?"

"Yea" Ryan said as he gathered his bearings.

"Here, let's take you to the kitchen." Ororo said as she helped Ryan walk.

"So it's good to see you up and around buddy." Robert said as they sat at the table.

"Yea, I am really happy to be back again." Ryan said as Ororo placed a sandwich in front him. "Thanks Aunt 'Ro."

"You're welcome Ryan." Ororo said as she gave Robert a look.

"So, what do you remember?" Robert asked as he took a swig of root beer.  
"Everything is pretty fuzzy, but I was playing a game with Aunt 'Ro and then a bunch of people came in and took me." Ryan said. "Then I woke up here."

"Wow that is pretty rough." Robert said. "So let's play a game."

"Sweet, I like it when we play games Uncle Bobby." Ryan said with excitement.

"Okay, the game is questions." Robert began. "I ask you a question, you answer and then you ask me a question and I answer."

"Okay, cool" Ryan said. "What's the question?"

"How old are you?" Robert asked.

"15 of course" Ryan replied. "My turn; why aren't you with Aunt Lorna?"

"Hmmm… you're pretty straight-forward aren't you." Robert said nervously. "Well, Lorna, or Aunt Lorna rather, decided that I was not her type in comparison to Alex and left to be with him."

"Don't be sad Uncle Bobby." Ryan said as he felt a small wave of sadness. "You'll find someone else."  
"Thanks, okay…" Robert said. "…why do you refer to all of us as Aunt and Uncle?"

"You know that Uncle Bobby." Ryan said.

"Humor me" Robert said.

"Alright, Mom and Dad adopted me when I was a baby and when I was younger I couldn't enunciate names so I referred to everyone here as aunt or uncle." Ryan explained. "Even as I got older, I still felt like you guys have been the best family that I've had."

"That is truly beautiful Ryan." Ororo said as she hugged him. "Don't stay up to late now; either of you."

"We won't, good night Aunt 'Ro." Ryan said as she left. "So I think it is my turn. Who were you and Aunt 'Ro arguing about before?"

"…it was about…" Robert struggled. "I really can't say."

"But Uncle Bobby…" Ryan began.  
"Don't worry about it Ryan." Robert said smiling. "Let's have a root beer float before bed."  
"Alright" Ryan said excitedly.

The pair grabbed some ingredients and made root beer floats. Soon enough they were feeling the effects of the sugar and decided to have midnight manhunt game in the Danger Room. After several rounds of fun, the two had worn themselves out and went off to bed. Ryan lay down, closed his eyes and let his mind wander into the realm of dreams. His dreams were peaceful, drifting memories of Ryan doing various things with different X-men. This continued for a while until a sudden darkness started slowly leaking into his dreams rather subtly; completely unnoticed. In the midst of a memory of James, Ryan, and Robert at the movies, Ryan felt the strange sensation that he was being watched. He looked around until on the movie screen he saw a glowing red diamond. The sight surprised him and suddenly he gasped; awake.

'What was that?' Ryan thought.

"_Ryan, are you alright?"_ Emma asked telepathically.

'Yes, I think so.' Ryan mentally thought.

"_Are you sure?"_ Emma pressed. _"Because I sensed…"_

'Yes! I am fine.' Ryan thought in a burst of anger.

"_Very well; Henry would like to see you in the Danger Room for testing."_ Emma said.

'Sweet! Tell him I'll be there in about 15 minutes.' Ryan thought excitedly as he prepared to shower.

Ryan took a quick shower and got changed. He grabbed his backpack and ran downstairs to the Danger Room. When he got there, he saw Beast, Wolverine, Storm and Emma Frost.

"Hey Dr. McCoy, what's everyone doing here?" Ryan asked with intrigue.

"Well, we're going to be performing multiple tests to see exactly how your powers function." Henry said. "After some preliminary tests, we have determined that you have two very interesting powers."

"Two?" Ryan asked. "I thought mutants only get like one power."

"Well, there are occasions where mutants have more than one power." Henry explained. "For example, Jean Gray had Telepathy along with Telekinesis. She was an exceptionally powerful mutant who very gifted with both abilities. Another example is Wolverine. He has both a regenerative healing factor as well the ability to produce claws. Then again, there is also secondary mutation which your mother is all too familiar with."

"That's true." Ryan said thoughtfully. "So what powers do I have?"  
"The easiest one to explain is Empathy." Henry said. "You, Ryan, have the Psionic ability to read, manipulate, and control the emotional state of others."

"So that's why I have been feeling weird lately." Ryan said to himself.

"What was that?" Henry asked politely.

"Nothing. So I can feel what other people are feeling and change it?" Ryan asked.

"Yes, and potentially even more than that." Henry said as he saw Ryan eyes light up. "But we're just going to do some basic things today. Emma is going to help you read and change the emotions of Wolverine."

"And that's going slow?" Ryan asked incredulously.

"Aww bub, are you afraid of hurting my feelings?" Wolverine said mockingly.

"Why wolverine, why not Storm?" Ryan asked pleadingly.

"Because Ororo's powers are tied to her emotions and if we were to create an extreme emotion within her, her powers could rage out of control." Emma said as she approached Ryan. "Don't be afraid; I am here."

"Alright, what do I do?" Ryan asked.

"Close your eyes and feel the emotion you want to create." Emma said as Ryan closed his eyes. "I suggest a simpler one like sadness, happiness, excitement, etc."

"Alright, I got one." Ryan said with his face scrunched in concentration.

"Good, now open your eyes and mentally push that emotion away from yourself and onto Logan." Emma said.

At that moment, Ryan's eyes started to glow a bright green as he looked at Wolverine. Suddenly Wolverine began to feel a bit off. A few seconds ago, he wasn't filled with any emotion in particular; now he felt an overwhelming sadness wash over him. He could see sad occasions happening in his life and could not stop them. He fell to his knees and began to cry uncontrollably.

"STOP IT!!" Wolverine bawled.

"Okay Ryan that is enough." Emma said.

"I don't know how to stop it." Ryan said worriedly.

"Just cut the emotional connection" Emma said quickly.

"Kid you better put a stop to this now." Wolverine growled as his emotional state changed.

"Alright… alright I can do this." Ryan said as he fearfully took a deep breath.

Ryan's eyes glowed again and this time everybody in the room felt a wave of calm wash over them. Wolverine growled a little bit and left abruptly.

"Wolverine, I'm sorry." Ryan said as Wolverine left.

"Don't worry about it sweetheart." Emma said as she put her hands on Ryan's shoulders. "Wolverine was just a bit overwhelmed. We'll work on some techniques a little bit later."

"I don't think I want to use that power again." Ryan said shuttering. "I felt his pain and it scared Me."  
"We don't have to continue with empathy today." Henry said. "Well let's move on to your other ability. This one is a bit more complicated so I will go slowly. You have the ability to change an atom or molecule's orientation in relation to other molecules or atoms and create weak bonds."  
"Which means?" Ryan asked very confused.

"Many things, one thing in particular was weakly bonding molecules to paralyze an opponent." Henry said. "Let's give that a try."  
"O…K…" Ryan said. "So what exactly do I do?"

"Try envisioning me not being able to move." Ororo suggested as she stepped forward.

"What if I accidentally use my Empathy on you?" Ryan asked fearfully.

"Do not worry; Emma is psionically shielding me from your abilities and I have a few tricks up my sleeve for dealing with mental powers." Ororo said as she smiled warmly. "Now give it a try."

Ryan began to concentrate exactly as Ororo told him. He soon began to see small dots all over the place. As he continued to concentrate, the dots began to collect all around Ororo's form.

"Ryan you did it; I cannot move." Ororo said.

"How in the world did you perform that perfectly on the first try?" Emma asked with surprise.

"I really don't know." Ryan said. "I just did what Aunt 'Ro said, saw some dots, and it happened."

"What do you mean by "saw some dots"?" Hank asked curiously.

"Don't you see them?" Ryan asked as his eyes glowed green.

"Emma, see if you can project what Ryan is seeing into our minds."

"I suppose." Emma replied as her eyes glowed with a pale blue.

Suddenly Hank, Ororo, and Emma began to see small dots all over the place; moving in different directions and in different orientations. They appeared to be different types, sizes and shapes.

"Fascinating, I think we are seeing atoms and molecules at the sub-atomic and atomic levels." Hank said as he looked around. "I don't think I have ever met someone with this capability. It truly is remarkable."

"Thanks… I think." Ryan said with confusion.

"No, thank you." Hank said wholeheartedly. "Now, I would like to see something. Ororo, could you please supply with a small summer shower."

"No problem Hank." Ororo said as her eyes began to glow white.

A moderate sized thunder cloud appeared above them. A quick flash is seen and small clap of thunder is heard. At that moment, small drops of water began to fall on them. As if by some sort of reflex, Emma shifted to her organic diamond state. Meanwhile, the raindrops seem to fall around Ororo entirely. Hank looked over at Ryan, whose eyes were stopped glowing and nodded in confirmation.

'Just as I suspected, at this level of control some of his powers are merely subconscious." Hank thought. 'He isn't even trying and yet he is changing the orientation of the water molecules so they do not touch him. This child is definitely more powerful than we know.'

"Is there a point to this Hank?" Emma asked. "Other than getting soaked…"

"Oh yes Emma and you will see." Hank said. "Ryan, can you do me a favor? Can you concentrate as you were before, except this time concentrate on the rain going away?"

"I can try." Ryan said as he began to concentrate.

Ryan's eyes glowed green once more as the rain continued to pour. It seemed like nothing was happening until he rain began to get lighter. Hank looked over to Ororo who had a look of surprised painted on her face. Suddenly, the cloud started to disperse and the room began to fill with steam. Soon the steam evaporated and Hank looked around.

"Thank you Ryan." Hank said. "I think that will be all for today. We have been working all afternoon and I suspect that you might be quite hungry."

"Now that you mention it, I am a bit hungry." Ryan said. "How did I do?"

"Quite well sweetheart." Emma said as she shifted to her human form.

"Yes, you performed remarkably." Hank said.

"So does that mean I will be able to join the X-men soon?" Ryan said excitedly.

"We'll see, remember this has only been the first day." Ororo said. "Now let us go and get some food. Then perhaps we can play a game."  
"Cool Auntie 'Ro. Catch ya later Dr. McCoy." Ryan said as the two began to leave. "See ya later mom."

"Farewell Ryan." Hank said.

"See you later Ryan." Emma said as they left.

"Emma, he is truly…" Hank began.

"_Scott, Logan, and Robert, I need to see you all in the Danger Room immediately." _Emma said telepathically. "Hank, I have called the others down to discuss our results today."

"And what results they are…" Hank said as he went up to the control room.

While Scott, Logan, and Robert were on their way to the danger room, Ororo and Ryan are sitting in the kitchen. They are eating leftovers from a dinner served a night ago which consisted of chicken parmesan.

"Why is it that everyone is so surprised by my powers Aunt 'Ro?" Ryan asked.

"Well Ryan, you are a very powerful mutant with gifts which are not seen very often." Ororo said.

"Is that why they worry about me?" Ryan asked.

"What do you mean?" Ororo replied in question.

"I am an empathy Aunt 'Ro. I feel things all of the time." Ryan said. "For instance, you are worried right now about something."

"I am worried about your safety. Powerful mutants do not manage well here in the X-men." Ororo said woefully. "I think that is what everyone is truly worried about."

"But I am not like mutants; I won't lose it with you guys training me." Ryan said. "Don't worry Aunt 'Ro, it hurts when you do."

"I am sorry child." Ororo said as she cheered up. "Oh look, there goes Anole, Pixie, and Armor, why don't you go talk to them."

"I don't know, I really do not remember them." Ryan said thinking.

"Well, the best way to remember them is to talk to them again." Ororo said as she got up and led Ryan over to the group. "Hey guys"

"Hey Professor Monroe" the trio said.

"This is Ryan" Ororo said. "**Remember…** Ryan, Emma and Scott's child who was recently kidnapped."

"Okay, how are you doing Ryan?" Pixie said. "You have awesome green eyes."

"Thanks, I am well." Ryan said. "It looks like you guys are going somewhere."

"Yea, there is a Dazzler concert downtown; do you want to join us?" Anole said.

"I don't know if that…" Ororo began.

"Please Aunt 'Ro, come on it sounds cool." Ryan said pleadingly as the other three mouthed Aunt 'Ro.

"I guess it wouldn't be too much of a problem." Ororo said. "Keep an eye on him guys."

"Oh we definitely will." Pixie said as she grabbed Ryan's arm. "Let's blow this popstand.

"Cool" Ryan said as the group left.

'I hope nothing happens to them.' Ororo thought as she watched them go.

Meanwhile, Scott, Emma, Hank, Robert and Logan met in the Danger Room to discuss the testing which took place.

"These results are insane." Robert said.

"Yea, the kid packs a punch." Logan said. "I could not believe he got to me that badly."

"Emma, I thought you placed Psionic blocks in this kid." Robert said.

"**Ryan**… and I did place powerful blocks in his mind." Emma said in a huff. "But he seems to be able to bend the blocks subconsciously to supply himself with more power."

"Well, I talked to him last night and he seems to be pretty happy with the way that he is now, so I guess we will wait and see."

"I guess we will." Scott said. "Hank, finish reviewing these results and let me know everything that you find."

With that the group left and Hank continued to work into the night.


End file.
